


In A Blink of An Eye

by Klainelover1997



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23692432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klainelover1997/pseuds/Klainelover1997
Summary: When a tragedy occurs suddenly, Kurt and Blaine must make a drastic life change and learn how to deal with their new reality.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

After a long day at the recording studio, all Blaine Anderson-Hummel wanted to do was go home and see his family. They were the best part of his life. Kurt was working as an assistant editor for Vogue and was able to work from home, so he could be with the kids while Blaine was at the recording studio working on his first album. They had two beautiful children. Bennett, who was biologically Kurt's, was five and an absolute ham just like both of his parents were at his age, always needing to be in the spotlight. Elizabeth who was Blaine's biologically, was 1 ½ and cute as can be. She wasn't talking yet, but they both had a feeling that when she did, they wouldn't be able to shut her up. Although they had been kidding in that video for Mr. Shue back in highschool, when the time came it was Quinn who agreed to carry, not one, but two children for them, who were absolutely perfect in their opinion.

Once reaching their brownstone in Manhattan, Blaine opened the front door and went inside. He was met with a loud, "daddy!" before Bennett practically jumped into his arms. Blaine picked up his son and held him close to his chest before giving him a kiss on his forehead. "I missed you today." Blaine said.

"Daddy, I got a new car." Bennett told his father as wriggled from his arms and ran over to the middle of the living room floor. He picked up a little red pick-up truck and showed it to Blaine who had followed him. "Papa bought it for me at the store because I watched Ellie." Bennett informed him.

"That's awesome buddy. That car is really cool." Blaine told him. "I am so proud of you for helping Papa with Ellie."

"Papa is proud of you too." Kurt said coming into the room with Elizabeth who was only in a diaper with her dark brown hair pulled into two ponytails. "The naked monster refuses to keep her clothes on." Kurt explained to his husband.

"That's okay, because…" Blaine began as he took Elizabeth from Kurt's arms. "it's easier to do this." Blaine held the little girl above his head and pressed a raspberry onto her bare stomach which sent her in a fit of giggles. "Let me see if I can get the monster into some clothes." Blaine told Kurt as he walked back to Elizabeth's room.

He grabbed a pair of pink pajamas and then set Elizabeth down on the changing table. "Alright missy, time to put some clothes on." He pulled the soft pink striped pants over her tiny legs before moving onto the shirt. He pulled the shirt over her head and then kept it there. 'Where's Ellie?" he teased before pulling the shirt down over her face. "There she is!" She giggled and reached her arms up towards Blaine. Blaine smiled and picked up his daughter. He could always manage to get her to do things when Kurt could. She was definitely a daddy's girl.

After getting Bennett into his pajamas, it was time for bed. Blaine placed Elizabeth in her crib and handed her a nighttime bottle. She immediately began to suck on it and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she drifted off to sleep. Then, Blaine went into Bennett's room where Kurt was sitting on the rocking chair with Bennett on his lap as they read a book together.

"And...The End." Kurt said closing the book. "Okay, buddy. Time for bed." Bennett who was nearly asleep didn't move, only cuddled closer into his father's chest. Blaine smiled and went over and lifted him off of Kurt's lap before gently laying him in his bed. Kurt was right behind him to pull Bennett's covers up to his chin and then kiss his gently on the forehead. Blaine did the same and whispered "I love you." into his son's ear before walking towards Bennett's door and turning off the light.

Now, it was finally time for he and Kurt to go to sleep. They had both started their nighttime routines when Blaine got a call on his cell phone. "It's my dad." Blaine told Kurt with a confused look on his face. He picked up his phone and held it to his ear. "Hey Dad?"

"Hey son." He heard his father reply, his voice thick with tears.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked immediately.

"Blaine...there's been an accident." He began. "Cooper and Caitlin...were in a car accident."

"Are they okay? The girls? Are the girls okay?" Blaine asked frantically as he felt Kurt come near him.

"Lacey and Gwendolyn are fine." Blaine's father told him. "But, Cooper and Caitlin...son, their both brain dead."

"We'll be out to LA in the morning." Blaine cried. "I love you."

"I love you too." his father replied. Blaine hung up the phone and his knees buckled making him collapse onto the ground. Kurt rushed to his sobbing husband.

"Blaine? What happened?" Kurt asked, as he tried to comfort him.

"My brother is dead." Blaine told him as he continued to sob into Kurt's chest. Just like that, his happy life that he knew and loved was over in a blink of an eye.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight out to LA was awkward to say the least. Because it was so last minute, it was hard to find seats for all of them. Kurt ended up sitting next to the kids while Blaine sat two rows behind them by himself. Maybe that was for the best though considering he hadn't really spoken since his father called and told him the news. Kurt had tried to get him to talk about it, but Blaine refused. He just continued to sob into Kurt's arms.

"Why can't daddy sit with us?" Bennett asked as he looked back through the cracks of the seat at Blaine who sat with his head against the window.

"Because honey, we can't change seats and daddy bought that seat." Kurt told him.

"Why is daddy so sad?" Bennett continued. Kurt sighed. He knew Elizabeth would never understand what was going on, but Bennett would. With Blaine not actually speaking, he knew it was going to be his job to tell Bennett.

"Baby, do you remember when we got in an accident in our car?" Kurt asked. Bennett nodded. Their accident had been nothing like Cooper and Caitlyn's, just a fender bender, but it was a good reference for his five year old mind.

"Yeah, it was loud." Bennett replied. "We crashed into another car."

"Well, Uncle Cooper and Aunt Caitlyn were in a car crash, but theirs was really bad." Kurt explained. "Their brains' got hurt in the accident and they didn't make it."

"They died?" Bennett asked, tears in his eyes. Kurt sighed and pulled him closer.

"Yes honey." Kurt said. "When we got to the hospital, they're going to be on machines that help them breathe. It makes their hearts work, but once we unplug the machines, they will die."

"Why can't we just keep them on their machines for a long time. Maybe their brains with get better." Bennett suggested. Kurt hugged Bennett close to his chest.

"It doesn't work like that honey." Kurt told him. "I wish it did, but it doesn't" After that Bennett didn't talk either. Kurt set him up with a movie on his phone and Elizabeth sleep the whole plane ride.

Once reaching the airport, they grabbed their bags and then hailed a cab, who took them to the hospital. They asked the front desk where Cooper and Caitlin's room was and headed upstairs. When they reached their room, they found Blaine's parent's and Cooper and Caitlin's daughters. Lacey, their oldest, was sitting in the hallway while Gwendolyn slept in her grandmother's arms next to her mother's bed.

"Blaine. You're here," His father said as he got up from the chair he was sitting in and hugged his son. His mother smiled, but didn't want to move and disturb Gwendolyn. Blaine took one look at Cooper and couldn't stay in the room. He broke from his father's arms and walked out in the hallway. Kurt thought that he should go after him, but quickly realized that Blaine needed time. And if he was going to talk again, there was only one person that he would do that with now. That was Lacey. Blaine and Lacey had always had a really remarkable relationship. From the moment Blaine had laid eyes on her, he was wrapped around her little finger. Lacey used to cry a lot as well, but as soon as she was in Blaine's arms, she went silent. They understood each other in ways that no one, but them understood.

Kurt watched as Blaine walked towards Lacey. They young girl took one look at her uncle before standing up and sobbing into his chest. Blaine held her tightly and combed his fingers through her dark brown hair. Kurt knew that they would both be okay. Right now, they just needed each other.

After Lacey had stopped crying, Blaine took her hand and led her down the hallway. He needed to talk and only talk to her. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Well...my parents are dead." Lacey said trying to be strong. "It all happened so fast, Uncle Blaine. One moment we were fine and the next we weren't."

"How did the accident happen?" Blaine asked.

"We went out because I didn't want to help with dinner and mommy didn't want to cook. We were driving home and singing to the radio. All of sudden we saw lights coming towards us and the other car hit us. I put my arm out in front of Gwennie so she wouldn't fly forward. But, Mom and Dad...they flew forward. Mom's head hit the dashboard and there was blood everywhere. Dad...he...he went through the windshield. When the car stopped moving, I got out and ran out to him. He...he wouldn't wake up. Uncle Blaine, I could see his skull. I..I…Is this my fault? If I had just helped make dinner, they would still be alive. This is my fault." She began crying again. Blaine pulled her into his arms. No sixteen year old should have to go through this.

"Shh...Shh…It's not your fault." Blaine comforted.

"I want them unplugged." Lacey said. "I can't watch those machines pump air into them anymore. Make Grandma and Grandpa pull the plug. Please, Uncle Blaine." She pleaded.

"I'll talk to them okay." Blaine said. "Do you want to be in the room when they go?"

"No." Lacey replied immediately. "They know I love them. I don't want to watch as they leave me forever."

"Okay, you don't have to." Blaine told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You can watch Gwennie, Bennett, and Ellie." Blaine told her. "They shouldn't be in there either. Now, we should go back and let you parents be at peace." Lacey nodded and took her uncle's hand as they walked down the hallway. When they reached the waiting area, Lacey went and took a seat. Blaine went into the room. "Kurt, can you take the kids outside?" he asked. Kurt nodded, before taking Gwen off of Blaine's mother's lap and leaving.

"We have to unplug them." Blaine said once Kurt was gone.

"No...we need more time with them." His mother told him.

"They are gone." Blaine said. "It's only hurting Lacey and Gwen more by keeping them alive. They need to start healing and they can't do that with these machine still pumping air into their parents chests. Lacey asked me to tell you this. It's what she wants. After what that girl went through, she deserves this."

"He's right, Tara." Blaine father said to his wife. "I'll go and get a doctor."

"Can I have a moment with them alone?" Blaine asked. Blaine's mother nodded and gave her son a kiss. Blaine took a seat in between Cooper and Caitlin's bed.

"It wasn't your time." Blaine said. "Neither of you." He reached out and took hold of their hands. "I'm going to take care of your girls. I'm not going to let anything happen to them. And, neither of you will ever be forgotten. I'll make sure that Gwennie remembers both of you...always." He sat there for a while. Then, the doctor came with his parents and Kurt close behind. They sat around Cooper and Caitlin and put their hands on them, so they would know that they weren't alone.

"Okay, I'm going to turn off the ventilators and their breathing will slow and their hearts will eventually stop. Do you understand that?" the doctor asked. They all nodded their head. The doctor handed Blaine's father a clipboard and he signed on the line. The act was done. It was time for Cooper and Caitlin to finally be at peace. The doctor turned off each of their ventilators and a steady long beep echoed through the room, so he turned off their monitors. "Take as much time as you need."

As they held Cooper and Caitlin's hands, they came to the realization that it was really over. Blaine looked out at the waiting room where the kids sat. He was determined to keep his promise to his brother and his sister. He would always take care of their girls...always.


	3. Chapter 3

The days following Cooper and Caitlin's death were hard for everyone, especially Lacey and Gwendolyn. While Lacey shut herself up in her bedroom and wouldn't talk to anyone, Gwendolyn clung onto anyone and sobbed for her mommy. It was heartbreaking. They were also overwhelmed trying to plan not one, but two funerals. By the time it came to the actual day of the funeral Kurt, Blaine and his parents were exhausted. But, they still put on their brave faces and their black clothing and went to the funeral home to endure the countless hours of crying people paying their respects, many of which didn't even really know Cooper or Caitlin.

When it was time to leave, Blaine's father called for Lacey, but he got no response. "I'll go." Blaine said making his way up to the stairs and down the hallway to Lacey's bedroom. He was about to knock when he noticed her door was already open. He gently pushed it open and walked over to where Lacey was sitting on her bed. She held a golden locket in her hand.

"It was supposed to be for my birthday, my sweet sixteen." She said staring at the locket. "I found it in daddy's sock drawer. He knew that I'd go looking and I hated his socks. I wouldn't look in there, but I did because I was cold last night and I just wanted my daddy to hold me. I put on all of his clothes, including his socks." Lacey said tears in her eyes. "Do you think they would want me to wear it?"

"I think they would." Blaine said. He took the locket from her hands before pulling her hair back and placing the locket around her neck. "You look so beautiful. You still look so much like your dad. You have his eyes and his hair."

"I know." Lacey said quietly.

"I know today is going to be, but we'll get through it together." Blaine said. He reached his hand out and she gently took it. They walked downstairs together and got into the cars and drove to the funeral home. The two caskets were placed in the front of the room, both closed. Cooper and Caitlin were both very proud of their image and they didn't want anyone to see them like that. For an hour, they endured tearful stories from some family and friends, but mostly strangers. To be honest, Blaine just wanted this to be over and he was certain that was what Lacey wanted too.

Eventually the priest joined them and the service began. "Today we are here to honor Cooper and Caitlin Anderson, who left us all to soon. Their oldest daughter, Lacey would like to say some words about her parents." Lacey got up from her seat, a paper in hand, and went up to the podium.

"I-I loved my parents...so much." Lacey began, shaking slightly. "I know most teenagers say they hate their parents, but for me that wasn't true. We were the closest and happiest family that I knew. I remember putting on shows in the living room, Gwen was just old enough to walk, but she was participating like everyone else in the family. I remember my dad telling me to point while I talked. He said that made everyone know I was serious." She said laughing through her tears. "My mom would just laugh as she watched the two of us together. We always joked that she was the stage mom and we were the stars, even though we knew there would be no show without her." She stopped for a moment as she let out a sob and tried to find her place on the paper. Eventually she just put the paper on the podium and looked up at everyone. "I know that my parents are looking down on me and my sister, or I hope they are anyway. And...I will miss them for the rest of my life. I love you mommy and daddy." She started to sob and Blaine's father went up and took her into his arms. There wasn't a dry eye in the whole room as they watched this little girl completely fall apart.

After everyone said their final goodbyes, they went to the cemetery where they placed Cooper and Caitlin's coffins in plots next to each other. They all wished that the day was over, but sadly it wasn't. Now, they had to meet with Cooper and Caitlin's lawyer to read their will. They went back to their house and changed. The next thing they knew, the lawyer was at the door.

Kurt let him in and lead him towards the dining room table where Blaine and his parents were waiting. "I just want to begin by saying that I'm sorry for your loss. Cooper and Caitlin were some of my favorite clients." They all nodded and gave him a fake smile. The lawyer sat down and pulled out a file of papers.

"So, the first matter to deal with is their money." The lawyer began. "In the event of their deaths, their money is to be split evenly between Lacey and Gwendolyn. With that said, they can't have access to it completely until after they graduate from college. They have listed Blaine as the trustee for this money. Is that okay with everyone?" They nodded.

"Now, we get to the custody of the girls." the lawyer said.

"We will of course take them." Blaine's father said.

"Well… it is written here that...in the event of our death, we would like Blaine Devon Anderson-Hummel and Kurt Elizabeth Anderson-Hummel to have full custody over Lacey Marie Anderson and Gwendolyn Juliet Anderson. They will also have complete control over the house, whether that means selling it or keeping it." Kurt and Blaine looked shocked. They never thought that Cooper and Caitlin would give them custody. Blaine's parents were far more capable in caring for the girls.

"They already have two children." Blaine's father said. "Can you two even financially manage four children?" he asked

"I-I don't know." Blaine stuttered. "This is just happening so fast. I-I need a minute." He got up from the table and went down the hallway to the playroom. It was the only room where he would be out of sight. A minute later, Kurt came in as well.

"You can't just run away. We need to make this decision together." Kurt said softly.

"I just needed a minute." Blaine replied. "Why did they choose us?"

"Think about how you were raised. They didn't want that for their girls." Kurt told him.

"But Kurt, we don't have a completely stable income. What if my album bombs?" Blaine said. "Then what? We go homeless with four children to feed?"

"Okay, your album is not going to bomb and we are not going to be homeless" Kurt told him. "And we still have my salary."

"So, you're saying we should take the girls?" Blaine asked.

"Is there any other option?" Kurt replied. " This is what Cooper and Caitlin wanted."

"But, what about our family?" Blaine asked.

"They are our family." Kurt said. "I would feel so guilty if we didn't respect their last wishes. And...Lacey needs you. You're the only one that gets her."

"You're right." Blaine replied. "I made them a promise that I would take care of their girls and this is how."  
"There's one more thing." Kurt said. "I think we should move to LA."

"Kurt, no." Blaine said. "Our life is in New York. Your job is there and my recording studio. We have a life there."

"And Lacey and Gwen have a life here." Kurt insisted. "Those girls have already lost their parents. I'm not about to take away the only house they've ever lived in away too. I can talk to Isabelle. I work from home. I can do that anywhere. And...there are recording studios in LA. Just talk to your producers. Tell them the situation and I'm sure they'll understand. It worked for Mercedes back in college." Kurt said. "Bennett and Ellie haven't started school yet, but Lacey has. I think it's important to keep her there."

"You're right." Blaine said. "You're always right." he added walking over and giving Kurt a hug.

"I know this will be tough, but we'll get through it." Kurt said. "We should go tell the lawyer." Blaine nodded and followed Blaine back out to the table.

"We'll take custody of the girls." Blaine said.

"Great." The lawyer replied. "You and Kurt just have to sign on these two lines." he added handing each of them a pen to sign with. After that they went over more minor things and the lawyer left.

"I'll go tell Lacey the news." Blaine told Kurt. "You try to explain it to Gwennie."

"Okay." Kurt replied. Blaine went upstairs and knocked on Lacey's door. She was sitting on her bed reading a book.

"When do I move in with Grandma and Grandpa?" She asked. Blaine took a seat next to her and placed a hand on her leg.

"You don't." Blaine said.

"They said no?" She asked.

"No, of course not." Blaine said. "Your parents didn't name them guardians. They named me and Kurt."

"So, I'm moving to New York instead of Ohio?" She asked.

"No." Blaine replied again. "Kurt, Bennett, Ellie, and I are moving to LA. We don't want to take anything else from you or Gwennie. Are you okay with that?" Lacey smiled, tears in her eyes before hugging her uncle.

"I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave them here." Lacey said. Blaine held her tightly and kissed her head.

"We'll get through this together." Blaine said. "We'll find a way for both of us to be happy again. I promise"


	4. Chapter 4

Weeks after Cooper and Caitlin's funeral, Kurt, Blaine and the kids were ready to move to LA. They had packed up their house and were ready to leave. They had rented a U-Haul and Blaine had started driving to LA a few days before. Today was the day that Kurt had to take the kids on a plane to LA...by himself. This was going to be a nightmare.

"I want to see Daddy." Bennett whined at his father, who was tying his shoes.

"Daddy is driving to LA. We'll see him tonight after we get off the plane." Kurt told him.

"I want to see him now." Bennett insisted stomping his feet. Bennett didn't often have tantrums, but once in a while they did happen and it was early, so he was tired. But, so was Kurt and he wasn't going to put up with this.

"Bennett Nicholas Anderson Hummel, you stop your whining right now or you will lose one of your toys. Do you understand me?" Kurt told him sternly. Bennett glared at him and nodded his head. Kurt took a deep breath and focused on what he needed to get done. He picked Ellie off of the floor and placed her into her carrier. She let out a little whimper clearly upset she was being confined in this seat again.

"Not you too." Kurt said. He grabbed her purple pacifier and pushed it into her mouth hoping to keep her quiet. Then, he grabbed the diaper bag full of diapers, bottles, special blankets, and snacks for the kids on the plane. "Okay Ben, come on. We have to go." Kurt said as he picked up Ellie's carrier. Bennett, who was still angry, stomped along behind Kurt and got into the rental car, they had gotten for the day. Kurt buckled the kids in and then began to drive to the airport. As he drove, Kurt became more and more frustrated because the traffic.

"Oh, come on!" Kurt yelled at the cars in front of him. At this point, the traffic wasn't even moving. It was at a complete stand still. They were going to miss their flight. When they finally got to the airport, it was a half an hour to late to make their flight. So, Kurt walked up to the front desk.

"There's no chance that Flight 356 to LA was delayed is there?" he asked.

"No, I'm afraid not sir." the woman told him. "That plane left on time."

"Then, I need to buy three coach tickets for the next flight to LA." Kurt told her.

"The next flight isn't until 2 p.m, but there are still seats available." she replied.

"2? Ma'am I have five year old an year old." Kurt said."Isn't there anything earlier?"

"I'm afraid not." the woman replied.

"Fine. Just give us tickets on the 2 o'clock flight." Kurt said. The woman smiled and handed him the tickets.

"Papa, are we getting on the plane?" Bennett asked.

"No baby." Kurt said. "We missed our airplane so we have to wait for the next one."

"When is the next one?" Bennett asked.

"In a few hours." Kurt told him.

"That's so long." He whined.

"Papa is not in the mood for whining." Kurt told him. "Why don't we go look around?" Bennett nodded and took his father's hand. They walked down the halls looking at the stores lining the walls. None of them even looked remotely interesting.

"Papa, I'm bored." Bennett said. Almost on cue, Ellie let out a whimper signaling that she was either hungry or needed a diaper change. Kurt walked over to a nearby bench and set her carrier down. He checked her diaper and found that it was dry. She was obviously hungry.

"How about some food buddy?" Kurt asked. "Ellie is hungry."

"I want chicken nuggets." Bennett said as he looked at a McDonalds. Normally, Kurt wouldn't give the kids that kind of food, but today he was desperate. Kurt went in line and ordered them food. He barely had a hand to grab everything between the food and Ellie's carrier. He found one chair in the corner of the room and let Bennett sit down and eat his food. Kurt was forced to stand. He was already so tired. As time passed, the kids grew very more and more impatient. Kurt just wanted their flight to be ready.

Around 1:30, Kurt felt his phone vibrate and saw that it was Blaine. "Hey honey, are you guys off the plane yet?"

"We're not even in LA yet." Kurt sighed.

"What happened?" Blaine asked.

"We missed our flight and our next flight doesn't leave until two." Kurt told him. "The kids are getting really impatient and I can't blame them."

"That honestly sucks." Blaine said. "Hang in there. I'll be there to pick you guys up tonight. I'll have my dad help me put together the kids' beds and get their rooms ready. They'll definitely be tired when you guys get here."

"Okay, that sounds good. I'll see you in a few hours." Kurt said. "I love you.'

'I love you too." Blaine said. "See you soon." Then, Kurt hung up his phone and heard a message go through the speakers. They were calling for their plane to board. Kurt couldn't be more relieved. They boarded the plane and Kurt set Bennett up in the seat next to the window with a movie on the ipad and some snacks. They were finally going to get there. The takeoff went pretty well. Kurt made sure to give Bennett a piece of gum to help him pop his ears. Ellie however didn't like the feeling, so Kurt had to hold her the whole time. Around the middle of the flight was when it go really bad. Kurt could just tell that something was wrong with Bennett.

"Buddy, are you okay?" Kurt asked. Bennett shook his head.

"My tummy hurts." He whimpered. Shit. That was what Kurt thought. He watched Bennett gag and quickly grabbed a barf bag in time to thrust it under his son's mouth. People around him looked over and grimaced. Kurt wanted to yell at all of them, but right now he had to focus on Bennett. When he was finished, Kurt wiped his mouth with a tissue.

"Do you feel better?" he asked. Bennett nodded. Kurt gave him a piece of gum to wash out the taste of the vomit and then covered him up with his blanket. "Just try to go to sleep buddy. When you wake up, we'll be in LA and you can see daddy." Bennett snuggled into his father's side and fell asleep. From that point the rest of the flight went well.

The plane landed around nine o'clock and both Ellie and Bennett were asleep. Kurt didn't know how he was going to carry both of them. "Do you need help sir?" he heard the flight attendant say.

"Actually that would be great." Kurt said. She smiled and picked up Ellie's carrier while Kurt picked up Bennett. They walked off the airplane and saw Blaine waiting for them. Blaine took Ellie's carrier from the flight attendant and hugged his husband.

"I'm glad that you're all here." Blaine said.

"Me too." Kurt replied. "Here, switch. He's been asking for you all day." Kurt handed Bennett over to Blaine and took Ellie's carrier. They left the airport and drove to Cooper and Caitlin's house...no their house. Once inside, they put the kids in their rooms before taking a seat in the living room and snuggling up against one another. It had been a long day and they were both glad it was over. Now, they had to focus on tomorrow, which marked the first day of their new lives.


	5. Chapter 5

Early Saturday morning, cries echoed over the baby monitor and into Kurt and Blaine's room. Both men groaned as the cries awakened them from their sleep. "Really? This is our last weekend to sleep before school starts up again." Kurt groaned.

"I don't think Ellie's wet diaper cares." Blaine mumbled into Kurt's chest. Just as he said that another cry came through the monitor. "And now she woke up Gwennie."

"You go get them." Kurt told his husband.

"No way, I have to go into the recording studio tomorrow." Blaine countered.

"Well, I have to take them school shopping." Kurt said. "I win. Go and get the girls." Blaine sighed and threw back the covers, making sure to pull them back far enough to uncover Kurt. He walked out of their room and down the hall to Ellie and Gwennie's room. He opened the door and both girls were standing in their cribs crying.

"What's the matter?" Blaine cooed. He walked over to Gwennie and held her. He knew that she most likely was not wet like Ellie, but scared or really upset. He held her on his hip and instantly she stopped crying. Gwennie had been clingy since the accident. "Let's go change Ellie's diaper. You can help me." Blaine said. He set Gwennie on the ground and then walked over to Ellie's crip. He picked the crying girl up and set her on the changing table and then unsnapped her onesie and found that he diaper was heavy. "Gwennie, can you get me a diaper?" Blaine asked. The little girl nodded and ran over to the box where they kept the diapers. She held it out to Blaine and he smiled. He cleaned Ellie up and then placed her back in her crib. "Okay missy, time for you to go back to sleep." Blaine said to Gwennie before picking her up. As he placed her in the crib, she dug her fingernails into his arm and frantically clung onto him. "Okay, I guess we'll go downstairs." He picked her back up and walked down the steps. He filled a sippy cup with milk for her and then took a seat on the living room couch after turning Nick Jr. on the TV. Blaine hoped that she'd fall back asleep that he could get some more sleep as well.

It must have done the trick because when Blaine woke up, it was to Kurt shaking his shoulders."Hey, you have to get ready and head into the recording studio." Kurt told him. Blaine yawned and flopped his head back down on the couch, clearly to comfortable to move, his arms tightening around Gwennie. "No, come on. Don't use the toddler as an anchor." Kurt said. He reached down and grabbed Gwennie who immediately cuddled into Kurt's chest. "Get up and go get ready." Blaine stretched and then go up from his spot on the couch. As he walked up the stairs, Lacey passed him.

"Uncle Blaine, are you going to be home today?" she asked.

"No honey, I have to go into work." Blaine told her. "Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to get some clothes for school. But, it's okay." Lacey said softly.

"I'll be home." Kurt told her. "I have to take Bennett school shopping. You can come with us and we'll go get you some clothing."

"Okay." Lacey said. "I'm going to go downstairs. Call me when we're leaving." Kurt nodded. Once she was downstairs, Kurt turned to Blaine.

"I'm worried about her. She's not dealing with her feelings." Kurt said.

"It's been less than a month since they died." Blaine said. "Give her some time."

"You're right." Kurt sighed as he watched Blaine go upstairs to get ready. After Blaine had left and Kurt had fed all the kids breakfast, he loaded them up in the car and headed off to Walmart for school shopping.

"Daddy, I need a backpack." Bennett notified his father.

"I know buddy." Kurt told him. "Give me a second to get the girls situated." He placed Ellie in the front of the cart and then lifted Ellie into the main part of the cart. Lacey followed behind, not speaking as Bennett held his fathers hand.

"Ohh!" Bennett exclaimed. "I want the superman backpack!" he said excitedly.

"Okay, buddy." Kurt laughed. He grabbed the backpack and put it in the cart.

"No! I want to wear it.' Bennett told his father. Kurt picked the backpack back up and handed it to his son who put it onto his back immediately.

"Lacey, do you need anything?" Kurt said. "Binders, notebooks, pencils?"

"No." Lacey said quietly. "Mom took me early in the month. She liked to shop early. I just need clothes."

"We'll go get them as soon as we're finished here." Kurt told her. Shopping lasted longer than Kurt had planned and by the time they were finished it was way past nap time and the three younger children were very cranky. Ellie wouldn't stop crying unless Kurt held her. Gwennie was asleep in the cart and Bennett was two seconds away from throwing a tantrum. After paying, Kurt looked at Lacey with a guilty look. "I promise that we'll go as soon as Uncle Blaine gets home."

"It's fine." Lacey said turning away from her uncle. Kurt sighed and then began buckling all three kids into their carseats. When they got home, Lacey disappeared to her bedroom. Kurt felt really bad. He wished that he could take her shopping, but it would have been awful with three cranky kids. While Bennett, Gwennie, and Ellie were napping Kurt worked on a column for Vogue. Blaine came home around a little before dinner.

"Hey, i'm back." he called into the kitchen where Kurt was preparing dinner.

"Hi!" Kurt said giving him a kiss. "How was the recording studio?"

"Good, we worked on a few different songs to see how they would sound." Blaine replied. "How was school shopping?"

"It went okay until the end." Kurt said. " I didn't get a chance to take Lacey clothes shopping. The younger kids got cranky."

"That sucks." Blaine said. "She has her permit. Maybe I should start teaching her to drive. Then, she'd be able to do what she wants, give her a little freedom."

"That's a good idea. She's upstairs in her room." Kurt told him. Blaine smiled and headed upstairs. He went to Lacey's room and opened the door.

"Hey, come with me." Blaine said with a big smile on his face. Lacey looked confused, but got off her bed and followed her uncle. Blaine grabbed his keys and led her outside. Lacey assumed that they were going somewhere. But, before she reached the passenger seat, Blaine sat down in it. "Wrong seat." he told her before handing her the keys. "Time for your first driving lesson." he said handing her the keys. Lacey reluctantly took them and got in the drivers seat. As she sat down, Lacey began to feel panicked. She knew that Blaine was talking to her but she couldn't focus. All that was in her mind were images of her parents and the car accident.

"Lacey, are you okay?" Blaine asked her, when she began to hyperventilate.

"I have to help them." Lacey yelled her hands shaking as she gripped the steering wheel. "Call 911. Their dying. Where's Gwennie?" Blaine quickly recognized the signs of a panic attack, he'd had many himself after Sadie Hawkins.

"Lacey, you're not there." Blaine said. "You're okay."

"He's not breathing." She screamed. Blaine tugged her hands off the steering wheel and wrapped his arms around her. Having her heart next to his, began to calm her breathing. It took a while, but she eventually calmed down.

"I don't want to drive." Lacey said, still out of breath.

"You don't have to." Blaine said. "It's okay. It's okay." Kurt was right. Lacey wasn't dealing with her feelings. Maybe time wasn't going to be strong enough to fix them.


	6. Chapter 6

When Kurt's alarm clock went off bright and early, he hit the snooze and laid in bed, not bothering to get up right away. "I know you're up." Blaine mumbled to Kurt.

"Well, you're up too." Kurt countered.

"That's because you've been rolling back and forth in your sleep and kicking me. You always do that when you're nervous about something." Blaine told him.

"He's too little for school." Kurt said.

"He's five." Blaine said. "Last time I checked that was standard kindergarten age."

"But, what if he gets scared or sick?" Kurt said.

"Then the school will call us." Blaine said. "Now, come on, we have two kids to get ready for school and two toddlers who will be waking up any minute for breakfast." he pulled back the covers and wandered into the hallway. He decided to get Lacey up first. He walked into her room and took a seat on her bed. "Lacey, honey, it's time to wake up. You have school today." Lacey groaned and buried herself further underneath the covers. "No, come on. Time to get up." Lacey's eyes fluttered open and she stared at Blaine, her eyes filled with sadness.

"I don't want to go to school." Lacey said softly.

"It's your junior year." Blaine said. "Only one more first day after this."

"People are going to treat me differently. I'm just going to be the girl with dead parents." Lacey said. "I'm not going to be able to blend in anymore."

"Well you shouldn't blend in." Blaine said with a smile. "Lacey, you are an amazing girl. You need to show people that, not blend into the background. Now, I suggest you get up before I pull the same stunt your dad did to me when we were in school."

"What did he do?" Lacey asked.

"He poured a pitcher of cold water all over me." Blaine said with a laugh. "And I will do it to you, now get up." Lacey smiled at her uncle and pulled the covers off of herself. Before going into the bathroom to take a shower, she wrapped her arms tightly around Blaine.

After making sure Lacey was up, Blaine went into Bennett's room. Kurt was already in there. The five year old boy was standing sleepily on his bed as Kurt helped him pull on his pants and shirt. "Someone's still a little sleepy." Kurt laughed as he picked Bennett off of the bed, who immediately nestled his head into Kurt's shoulder. Blaine laughed.

"He's not used to getting up this early." Blaine said. "He'll get used to it."

"Hey, buddy. You have to wake up for me now." Kurt said. "I can't do your hair if it's in my shoulder." Bennett grumbled, but lifted his head so Kurt could do his hair.

"Are you excited for school?" Blaine asked. Bennett sleepily nodded his head and yawned.

"It's going to be fun." He said.

"Go and get the girls up." Kurt told Blaine. "I've got him." Blaine nodded and walked down the hallway to Gwendolyn and Ellie's room. He went over to Gwennie's crib first. He knew she would be easier to get up. Not being a morning person must run in the family because neither him, Kurt, or their kids could seem to manage to wake up in the morning. He gently picked up the sleeping toddler and held her in his arms.

"Gwennie, it's time to wake up." he said softly as he ran his hand up and down her back. Gwen's eyes opened and she smiled at her uncle. "How about we try to go potty?"

"No." Gwen insisted,but Blaine walked her into the bathroom anyway. He sat her on the ground and pulled her pajama pants down before sitting her on the toilet. "No pee pee" she said defiantly.

"Come on honey." Blaine said. "We have to take Bennett and Lacey to school today."

"No." Gwennie repeated.

"What if I sing you a song if you go?" Blaine offered. Gwennie crossed her arms.

"Sing it first." Gwennie said. Blaine shook his head.

"No." Blaine said. "After." Gwennie sighed and focus and soon he heard her go to the bathroom.

"I did it!" Gwennie said excitedly. "Sing the song." Blaine helped her off the toilet and pulled her pants up. The he helped her wash her hands.

"Okay. Song time." Blaine said. "Gwennie went pee pee on the potty. Gwennie went pee pee on the potty. Gwennie went pee pee on the potty and we're so proud of her." Blaine sang as he threw Gwennie up in the air and blew a raspberry on her stomach which made her giggle. "Okay go downstairs and tell Uncle Kurt you're hungry. I have to wake Ellie up." Gwennie nodded and slowly walked down the stairs. Blaine got Ellie up and changed her diaper before getting her dressed and taking her downstairs.

"I heard you bust out the potty song." Kurt laughed.

"Not one of my finest moments. I don't think it'll make the record." Blaine laughed. "But she did go to the bathroom."

"Good job Gwennie." Kurt told her before turning back to Blaine. "They're fed. We just need Lacey." Almost if on cue, Lacey walked downstairs. Her dark wavy hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and she was wearing a pretty top with a pair of capris. "You look pretty honey." Kurt said. Lacey smiled. "Alright we need to head to school now. Everybody in the car." Lacey and Bennett grabbed their backpacks and moved towards the car with Kurt, Blaine, Gwennie, and Ellie not far behind. They drove to Lacey's school first. She got out of the back of the car and gave a little wave before running off. Next was Bennett's school. They parked in the parking lot and Bennett unbuckled himself. Blaine grabbed Ellie and Gwennie from the car as Kurt held Bennett's hand. They walked into school and down to Bennett's classroom.

"Okay, buddy. This is your classroom." Kurt told him. "Give me a hug." Bennett smiled and gave both of his fathers a hug. "You sure you're okay?" Kurt asked.

"I'm fine. Bye Papa." Bennett said running off. Blaine was quick to grab Kurt's hand to make sure that he didn't run after his son.

"He's fine." Blaine said. "It's only half a day. We'll see him at noon. Let's get home before we have to come right back." Kurt longingly looked into the classroom before nodding and following him back to the car. Today was proving much harder for Kurt than it was for Bennet.

The first part of the day for Lacey was awful. She could feel the stares on her everywhere she went. Luckily, it was four block and her last class of the day. Unfortunately, it was physics class. "Lacey Anderson, you're up front, next to Mr. Harris." the teacher said. Lacey walked with her backpack and took a seat next to the boy. She had never seen him before. He was cute. He had a hipster vibe going with his beanie and large glasses, which Lacey surprisingly liked.

"I'm Julian." the boy said.

"Umm...I'm Lacey." She said. "I've never seen you around here. Are you new?" she asked.

"Yeah, my mom got a new job here." Julian said. "We moved from Ohio."

"My dad and my uncles used to live out in Ohio." Lacey said, watching his face react to the word uncles. Shit, he was homophobic. He must have obviously seen her panic because he spoke up.

"I'm not homophobic. My sister is a lesbian. I-I just saw your reaction. I just wanted you to know." Julian said trailing off.

"Oh, that's good I guess." Lacey said. "Hey, I was wondering, since you don't have many friends would you want to hang out maybe this weekend?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome." Julian replied with a smile. Their last class passed by quickly. Neither Lacey or Julian was really paying attention though. They had started a note to talk and were both trying to contain their laughter when they talked about the physics teacher's awful equation tie. They almost got caught. Lacey realized that she hadn't been this happy in a while. Julian was easy to talk to and he was funny. He was going to be a really good friend. After school, they said goodbye and Lacey headed out to the parking lot to where Kurt was waiting for her.

"Hey honey, how was your day?" Kurt asked.

"Good." Lacey said as Kurt began to drive. She talked to him about her classes, conveniently forgetting to mention Julian, but she realized Kurt had missed the turn to their house. "You missed the turn."

"We just need to stop somewhere first." Kurt said. He drove up to this large building with a large golden plaque that said. "LA Psychiatry offices" Instantly, Lacey felt her heart begin to beat faster.

"Why are we here?" She asked.

"Honey, they can help you." Kurt said. "I talked to a therapist after my mom died."

"Well I'm not you and I don't want to talk to them!" Lacey insisted.

"You're not dealing with your problems." Kurt said.

"I'm dealing with them they way that I want to!" Lacey said. "You know I had a really good day today and you ruined it. I am not talking to them. Now take me home!"

"Just give it a try." Kurt said calmly.

"No!" Lacey yelled. She took off her seat belt and opened the passenger door and got out.

"Lacey, get back in the car." Kurt said. "I won't make you go. Just get back in the car." Lacey stopped, only because their house was more than ten miles away. She got in the back of the car and refused to talk to Kurt.

"Hey Lace!" Blaine said when she came home. But, she didn't respond. She only ran up to her bedroom and slammed the door. "What happened?" he asked.

Kurt just shook his head. "Is this ever going to get easier?" he asked. Blaine let out a sigh and stood up from the spot on floor where he was playing with Gwennie and Ellie. He wrapped Kurt in his arms and kissed him on the cheek. "Just give it more time. You tried."


	7. Chapter 7

The first Sunday after school started, Kurt woke up early. He hoped that the kids would sleep in and he could get some work done for Vogue. He had even made sure to get out of bed quietly and not disturb Blaine. He had been at the recording studio late most nights and he was exhausted. Kurt was halfway through a column for next week when Lacey came down the stairs with Gwennie in her arms. Both were dressed in nice clothing. "What are you two doing up?" Kurt asked.

"We're ready for church." Lacey said.

"Church?" Kurt asked surprised. He, himself, was an atheist and was not going to church. After all of the bad things that had happened in his life, believing in this superior being was just crazy.

"Yeah, you know. You pray and sing and stuff. We go every Sunday." Lacey told him.

"Sweetheart, you know that I'm an atheist…" Kurt began.

"And that means that I suddenly need to be one too?" Lacey asked, obviously offended.

"No, of course not." Kurt began. "I just don't feel comfortable taking you to church."

"Then, just drop us off." Lacey said.

"You shouldn't be there by yourselves." Kurt told her.

"God! You're so annoying!" Lacey screamed. "I'm 16 and am extremely capable of watching a three year old. If you won't take me, I'm sure Uncle Blaine will." Lacey set Gwennie on the ground and then stomped upstairs. Blaine was already awake and had Bennett in his arms. "Uncle Blaine, will you please take Gwennie and I to church? Uncle Kurt won't do it."

"Umm..sure." Blaine said, as he pulled a shirt over Bennett's head.

"What's church?" Bennett asked. "I want to go."

"It's a place where people go and worship God." Lacey explained.

"Who's God?" Bennett asked turning to Blaine.

"God...is like the daddy of the Earth." Blaine said, trying to keep the answer as simple as possible. He and Kurt had been raising Bennett and Ellie with no religion, but Blaine honestly didn't think having one was so bad. He had grown up Catholic like Cooper and Casey were doing with Lacey and it wasn't that bad. Sure, it had been hard when he came out, but the Catholic church had come a long way. Even the Pope was saying that being gay was okay.

"Can I meet him daddy?" Bennett asked.

"Kinda buddy." Blaine laughed. "You can come to church, but no one ever really gets to see God." he explained.

"So, he's like Willy Wonka." Bennett said.

"Sort of." Blaine laughed. He lifted Blaine off of the bathroom counter and then followed Lacey down the stairs and into the living room. Lacey picked up Gwennie and then made a break for the door. Kurt who was in the kitchen, saw Bennett and walked in.

"Where are you taking him?" He asked.

"I'm going to see God, Papa." Bennett told his father. Kurt just nodded and then glared at Blaine.

"Lacey, can you take Bennett and Gwennie outside?" Blaine asked. Lacey nodded and led the two kids outside.

"You are not taking him to church." Kurt said sternly.

"What do you want me to tell him?" Blaine asked. "We can just let Lacey and Gwennie go and say he can't. We're one family now and I'm not taking religion away from those two girls."

"We are raising our children with no religion." Kurt told him.

"Yes, our children." Blaine emphasized. "Lacey and Gwennie had parents who were raising them the way that they wanted them to be raised. And, that includes religion. I honestly don't understand why you despise religion so much. It's not all bad."

"It's ridiculous!" Kurt exclaimed.

"That's your opinion." Blaine said. "I want Ellie and Bennett to form their own opinions. If they want to believe in God, fine. If not, that's fine too. But, we should at least give them the chance. Now, I have to go, because people don't like it when you're late for church." Blaine stormed out of the house and into the car. Even though he was angry with Kurt, he didn't show it to the kids. With Lacey's help, he drove to the church and they went inside and found seats.

The service was nice. They prayed and sang songs. Bennett seemed to like that part. They even let the younger kids go back with youth leaders to learn about the bible readings while the adults stayed outside. Bennett took Gwennie's hand and led her down the aisle. He was having an amazing time.

At the end of the service, Bennett and Gwennie came back, smiles on their faces and colored pictures in their hands. Blaine smiled and told them both that their pictures were beautiful.

"Can I just have a minute?" Lacey asked Blaine at the end of the service.

"Sure honey." Blaine said. "I'll take Bennett and Gwennie out to the playground." He grabbed the five and three year olds hands and led them outside. Bennett climbed all over the jungle gym with Gwennie desperately trying to keep up. Blaine sat on the swings and watch the two play. It reminded him a lot of him and Cooper when they were kids.

About ten minutes later, Lacey came out of the church and took a seat on the swing next to Blaine. "Are you okay?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," Lacey replied. "I just needed to have some time with just me and God." Blaine nodded, not wanting to pry. "Praying is the only thing that makes me feel connected to them now. Some people say that going to places where they were, will make me feel close to them, but it doesn't. It only makes me miss them more."

"That's natural." Blaine told her. "Everyone deals with things a different way."

"Don't let Uncle Kurt take this away from me." She pleaded, tears in her eyes.

"Honey…" Blaine began.

"It makes me feel like I'm talking to them." She explained. "Maybe that's stupid, but...it helps. Uncle Kurt can have his beliefs, but I have mine. This is the last thing that make me feel connected to them. I need this."

"I won't let you lose this connection with them." Blaine told her. "You have every right to believe in God if you want to."

"Do you believe in God and in Heaven?" Lacey asked.

"I believe in a bigger power." Blaine told her. "I don't know if it's God specifically, but I believe that there's something bigger out there than just you and me. Now, come on, we have to head home." Blaine told her. "Bennett! Gwennie! Time to go! Blaine yelled. The two kids ran over and followed Blaine and Lacey over to the car. Blaine buckled them into their carseats and then they headed home. Blaine knew he would have to talk about this religion issue with Kurt more, but he was willing to fight. This was something important to Lacey and something that both Gwennie and Bennett enjoyed. That meant it was something worth fight for.


	8. Chapter 8

Every since Lacey's first day of school, she and Julian had been pretty inseparable. To some people it may have seemed that there was more between the two, but to Lacey and Julian, it was just an instant friendship. The two only had one class together, but walked between classes and ate lunch together.

"Okay, so what are we doing for halloween?" Lacey asked. "I am way too old to be trick or-treating with my sister and cousins."

"You can come over to my house. My little sister is staying at her friends house and my mom has to work late." Julian offered. "We can have a horror movie marathon."

"That could be fun." Lacey laughed. "As long as you don't mind me burying my face into your side the whole movie."

"Hmmm… That might be met with just a touch a ridicule for being a baby." He said, a smirk on his face.

"You're such a jerk!" Lacey exclaimed. "I didn't make fun of you when you freaked out over that spider in your bathroom."

"It fell on top of me!" Julian said in defense. "I had every right to scream." Lacey laughed and was about to speak when she was cut off.

"Hi Lacey." she heard. Lacey looked up and saw two girls that she used to hang out with before her parents died.

"Kaylee, Amanda, what's up?" She asked.

"We just came over here to invite you to our Halloween party tonight" Kaylee said.

"Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun." Amanda piped in.

" I don't...I sort of have plans." Lacey said.

"Aww come on." Kaylee whined. "You never hang out with us anymore. Please?" she begged. Lacey looked to Julian who just looked rather uncomfortable.

"I'm not going unless Julian can come." Lacey said stubbornly. Kaylee looked at Amanda and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, he can come too." Kaylee told Lacey before walking away.

"So much for our movie marathon…" Julian said quietly.

"Listen, we'll only go for a little bit.' Lacey said. "Then, we'll go to your house and watch movies. I don't even really want to go, but I was their friend…"

"It's fine. I'll just stick with you." Julian said. "What are you going to do about your uncles? They're never going to let you go."

"I'll take care of that." Lacey told him.

Later, after getting home from school, Lacey found Kurt in the living room getting the younger kids costumes together. "Uncle Kurt?" She said softly, getting his attention.

"Hey Lacey," Kurt said with a smile. "What's up?"

"I was wondering...can I go over to Julian's tonight?" She asked. "We're just going to hang out and watch a horror movie marathon."

"Yeah, I guess that would be okay." Kurt said. "You're going to miss Bennett, Gwennie, and Ellie's halloween costumes."

"I'm sure you'll take tons of pictures." Lacey laughed. "Julian's mom is working and his little sister is staying at a friends house. I don't want him to spend Halloween alone. That would be totally depressing."

"I guess you're right…"Kurt said. "Do you need a ride?"

"No. I'm just going to take a bus." Lacey said. "You'll be busy getting the little kids ready for trick-or-treating. "

"Okay, honey have fun." Kurt said with a smile. Lacey gave him a reassuring smile and then headed upstairs, feeling very guilty. Technically, It wasn't a lie. They were going to watch movies...they were just going to a party first.

Around six, Lacey left the house and got on a bus to Julian's house. She had a backpack full of the clothes she was planning to wear to the party. She got off the bus and then walked to Julian's house. After knocking on his door, he opened up and smiled at her.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey, I have to change and then we can go." Lacey said.

"About that...are you sure?" He asked. "I heard that there was going to be alcohol at this party. We're underage."

"We don't have to drink it." Lacey countered. "We'll just go and hang out. We don't need alcohol to do that." she added before going into the bathroom. Julian was left alone outside. Honestly, he didn't really want to go to this party, but he wasn't going to let Lacey go by herself. Five minutes later, Lacey walked out of the bathroom in tight skinny jeans and a skin tight black top. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go." They made their way over to Kaylee's house and instantly could tell that it was packed. People were out on the lawn and all over the house. Lacey and Julian walked inside and it was so loud they could barely hear each other. "I"m going to go and find Kaylee and say hi!" Lacey yelled over the music. "I"ll be right back." She headed into the kitchen and found Kaylee laying across her table with a shot in her belly button.

"Lacey! You made it!" Kaylee yelled, clearly already drunk. "Get her a drink…" She slurred.

"No,no I'm fine." Lacey said.

"Here." She heard from behind her. When she turned around she saw Michael Brown, one of the hottest guys in school who she had a huge crush on.

"No, really I shouldn't." Lacey said.

"It'll just take the edge off." He said. "One drink isn't even going to get you buzzed." he added with a dashing smile in her direction.

"I guess that one drink won't hurt." Lacey said as she took the beer from his hand and took a long sip. Michael smiled and put his arm around Lacey.

An hour passed and Lacey still hadn't come back. Julian was beginning to worry. He didn't like parties like this and wanted to leave, but not without Lacey. She was his friend and nothing good was going to come from this party. He began walking through the house looking for Lacey. Eventually he came to the kitchen where Lacey was dancing with another guy… Michael, if he remembered correctly...who looked as drunk if not more than Lacey. As Julian went over he saw Michael start to try to kiss Lacey and she tried to push him away.

"Michael stop." Lacey said trying to push him away, but he didn't. Julian raced over to them and pushed Michael off.

"What the hell dude!" He yelled. "Is this your boyfriend?" He asked turning to Lacey, who shook her head.

"Lacey, I think we should go." Julian said

"You're not going anywhere." Michael said loudly.

"Look man, I don't want any trouble." Julian started to say, but it was too late. Michael raised his fist and punched Julian in the eye, which sent him to the ground.

"Michael! Stop! Don't hurt him!" Lacey said jumping in between them. She helped the Julian up and then the two of them went outside. "I'm so sorry." Lacey said. "You were right. We never should have gone. Oh and your eye." she exclaimed.

"I'm fine." Julian said. "I'm just glad we left." They walked back to Julian's house and went inside. Julian grabbed some ice from the fridge and held it too his eye. "Well, we can still watch some movies." Julian suggested. Lacey nodded and took a seat on the couch. Still a little drunk, she snuggled into Julian's side without warning. At first Julian didn't know what to do, but decided to just hold her. He knew it meant nothing. They were just friends and she was drunk. About halfway through the movie, Lacey sat up and placed her hand over her mouth. "What's wrong?" Julian asked. Lacey didn't answer. She quickly got up from the couch and ran into the bathroom. Julian could hear hear throwing up, so he went in and grabbed her hair. The vomiting was endless and Julian was worried that she might have alcohol poisoning. He needed to call someone, but who?

Across town, Blaine and Kurt had just gotten back from trick-or-treating with Bennett, Gwennie, and Ellie. Ellie was asleep, still in her ladybug costume because she refused to take it off. Bennett, or Superman as he called himself, was sitting on the ground with Gwennie, Princess Rapunzel, trading candy. "What time did Lacey say she was coming home?" Blaine asked.

"She didn't. She may just be sleeping over." Kurt said.

"With a boy?" Blaine asked. "She can't have a sleepover with Julian."

"Oh, Blaine, come on." Kurt said. "They're just friends. We've both met Julian and he's a good kid. I'm just glad that she's going out and having fun.'

"Still…" Blaine grumbled. Suddenly his phone rang. "Speaking of Lacey." he said answering the phone. "Hey honey."

"Mr. Anderson… It's not Lacey." the voice said. "It's Julian."

"Hi Julian." Blaine said. "Why do you have Lacey's phone?"

"I think we need help." Julian began. "We went to a party. I didn't drink, but Lacey did and she's throwing up. I-I don't really know what to do for her. My mom is working."

"I'll be right over." Blaine said hanging up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

"You were right about Julian. It's Lacey who we need to worry about." Blaine said quickly grabbing his jacket and keys. He drove over to Julian's house and pulled in the driveway before knock on his front door. Julian opened the door and let Blaine in.

"She fell asleep after vomiting like four times." Julian said. "I kept her on her side and have been watching her. Does she have alcohol poisoning?" he asked.

"No, probably not." Blaine said. "She'll just have one hell of a hangover. What happened to your eye?" he asked.

"Guy...at the party, tried to mess with her." Julian said. "I stopped him."

"Thank you. For watching out for her." Blaine said.

"Will she and I still be able to hang out?" Julian asked. "She' kind of the only friend I have. I know we made a mistake but…"

"Julian stop." Blaine said. "I'm not mad at you. If it weren't for you, she'd be in way worse shape. I'll have her call you in a day or two. Right now, I'm just going to get her home." Blaine said as he slipped his arms underneath Lacey and lifted her up. He carried her out to the car and strapped her in the backseat. When they got home, Blaine carried Lacey into the house.

"Oh God." Kurt exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Someone had their first experience with alcohol." Blaine replied. "I'm just going to get her to bed. We'll talk to her tomorrow...even if she does have a hangover." Kurt nodded and followed Blaine upstairs. He laid Lacey in bed and then covered her up. For tonight she was okay, but tomorrow she would truly pay the price for drinking.

The next morning, Blaine was in Lacey's room when she woke up. "Ow.."Lacey moaned.

"That's what happens when you get drunk." Blaine said.

"I'm sorry." Lacey said softly.

"I'm not the one you really need to say that to. I mean… it helps, but it's Julian who deserves that." Blaine said. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know. That I wanted to be normal." Lacey said. "For once, I felt like I was back in my old life before mom and dad died. I just went overboard."

"Overboard? Lacey, you could have gotten alcohol poisoning." Blaine said. "If those were the kind of kids you were hanging out with I'm glad that your life is different. Julian is a better friend than all of them. Do you remember that he took a black eye for you?" Blaine asked. "Lacey, you're such a bright girl. You need to get involved in something and meet kids who are good kids. You like music. You should get involved in the school music. You have a beautiful voice." Blaine told her. "I really don't care what you do… I just want you to meet better people and make better choices."

"I will, I promise." Lacey said, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry." Blaine kissed her forehead.

"It's okay." he told her.

"Can I have some motrin for my head?" Lacey asked quietly.

"Sure, sweetie. I'll get you some." Blaine said. He got up and went downstairs. He knew that he should probably punish her for drinking, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. They were all dealing with grief and it was hitting them all differently. They all just needed sometime and a little slack.


	9. Chapter 9

Wails echoed through the baby monitor and both Kurt and Blaine shared a groan. "Are they going to do this every night?" Kurt moaned.

"I think they egg each other on." Blaine agreed. "Whose turn?"

"Yours" Kurt said hopefully.

"No way. I had them last night...and the night before." Blaine replied.

"Fine." Kurt sighed pulling back the covers. He walked down the hallway and into the girls room. "What's wrong babies?" he asked. When he walked in the room and odor hit him. It wasn't the normal smell of a dirty diaper, but something much worse. He peeked into Ellie's crib and found that it was fine. When he walked over to Gwennie crib, he found the problem. Gwennie was covered in the vomit that lined her sheets and blankets.

"My belly hurts." Gwennie cried. Kurt sighed and lifted her vomit soaked shirt off of her so that she was just in her diaper before picking her up. Gwennie, who felt really warm, cuddled into Kurt's chest.

'I'll be right back Ellie." Kurt said. He walked back to their bedroom and shook Blaine awake. "Blaine, wake up." he said. "The girls are sick." Blaine woke up and looked at Gwennie who lay pitifully in Kurt's arm. "I have to go and see if Ellie is sick too." Kurt said handing Gwennie over to Blaine before disappearing. Blaine held the feverish little girl in his arms until Kurt came back with Ellie. "She hasn't thrown up, but she feels warm. We're in for a long night." And Kurt was right. Ellie kept crying almost constantly and Gwennie threw up at least six time. By the time when Kurt's alarm was supposed to be up, he had already been awake for seven hours.

"Do you want me to stay home today?" Blaine asked. "I can call my producers and let them know."  
"No, I'll be fine." Kurt said his head in his hands. This was the first time that Gwennie and Ellie had been asleep at the same time and the exhaustion was hitting Kurt.

"You don't look fine." Blaine added.

"I have a migraine. I've been getting them more frequently. Their just from stress." Kurt explained. "Go to work. I'll be fine." Blaine walked over and kissed Kurt on the forehead.

"Call me if you or the girls need anything." Blaine said.

"I will." Kurt replied, even though he never would. He could handle this. This was their new normal. He could definitely handle this.

At school, Lacey was probably as stressed out as Kurt was at home. She had decided to audition for the school musical like her Blaine had suggested. They were doing Wicked. Wicked! She couldn't be more excited and nervous at the same time. Now, she was standing backstage trying not to vomit. 'You're going to be great." Julian reassured her.

"You've never even heard me sing." She snapped. "I'm sorry… I'm just nervous."

"Don't be nervous. I'll be out in the audience." Julian told her. "If you bomb it or something we'll go and binge eat pizza and ice cream." Lacey laughed and gave him a hug. She was glad that their Halloween incident hadn't derailed their friendship at all.

"Lacey Anderson!" Came through the took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage.

"I'm Lacey Anderson and I'll be auditioning for Elphaba. I'll be singing "Defying Gravity"". she told the teachers judging her. The music began and Lacey began to sing.

_Something has changed within me_

_Something is not the same_

_I'm through with playing by the rules_

_Of someone else's game_

_Too late for second-guessing_

_Too late to go back to sleep_

_It's time to trust my instincts_

_Close my eyes... and leap!_

_It's time to try_

_Defying gravity_

_I think I'll try_

_Defying gravity_

_Kiss me goodbye_

_I am defying gravity_

_And you wont bring me down!_

_I'm through accepting limits_

_'cause someone says they're so_

_Some things I cannot change_

_But till I try, I'll never know!_

_Too long I've been afraid of_

_Losing love I guess I've lost_

_Well, if that's love_

_It comes at much too high a cost!_

_I'd sooner buy_

_Defying gravity_

_Kiss me goodbye_

_I'm defying gravity_

_I think I'll try_

_Defying gravity_

_And you wont bring me down!_

_I'd sooner buy_

_Defying gravity_

_Kiss me goodbye_

_I'm defying gravity_

_I think I'll try_

_Defying gravity_

_And you won't bring me down!_

_bring me down!_

_ohh ohhh ohhhh!_

"Thank you very much Lacey." The drama teacher said. Lacey smiled and walked off stage. Julian was immediately at her side.

"Holy shit! You didn't tell me you could sing like that." Julian exclaimed.

"I wasn't that good." Lacey mumbled quietly.

"Are you kidding me! You were amazing!" Julian said. "We're binge eating pizza and ice cream anyway." he laughed.

"I wish.' Lacey sighed. "My sister and cousin are sick with a stomach bug. My uncle needs some help."

"Oh okay." Julian sighed. "Next week.'

"Yeah, definitely." Lacey replied. They went their separate ways after that. Lacey took a bus home. She didn't want to make Kurt come and get her. Then he'd have to lug all three of the little kids out and that would just be bad. When she got home, she found Bennett lying on the couch watching TV. Gwennie was curled up on the loveseat sleeping and Ellie was in the pack n' play doing the same thing. Lacey walked into the kitchen where she found her uncle preparing soup.

"Hey honey." Kurt said weakly.

"Uncle Kurt are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm just really tired and I have a headache. I may be coming down with what the girls had. So, we're just going to have soup tonight." Kurt said.

"Are you really sure you're alright?"Lacey asked.

"I'm fine honey. Why don't you go into the living room and hang out with Bennett while I finish the soup." Kurt suggested. Lacey nodded and did what she was told. Meanwhile, Kurt took out his cellphone and dialed Blaine's number.

"Hey sweetheart." Blaine answered. "How are the girls?"

"Better, but I'm not feeling to hot. Do you think you could come home early?" Kurt asked. "This headache is just really getting to me."

"Sure babe." Blaine replied. "I'll leave right now."

"Okay, I love you." Kurt said.

'I love you too." Blaine replied. "See you soon." Kurt hung up the phone and went back to making the soup. It was a good thing he knew this recipe by heart because he could barely focus. This headache was making it hard for him to do anything. Suddenly, Kurt didn't feel right. He could hear Lacey's voice calling from the living room,but couldn't move. Then, everything went black.

From the living room, Lacey could hear the loud thud of Kurt's body hitting the floor. She ran into the kitchen and found her uncle seizing on the ground. She ran to his side and tried desperately to help him, but she didn't know what to do. All she knew was, they needed help and they needed it now.


	10. Chapter 10

Lacey was freaking out as Kurt's body continued to flail. Bennett was standing in the kitchen watching as his father seized on the ground. "Bennett turn around buddy don't watch." Lacey told him. "I'll tell you when the scary part is over." Bennett turned around, tears still running down his face. After two or three minutes, Kurt's body stopped shaking and Lacey finally felt like she could breathe again. But, this wasn't over. Not really. People didn't just have a seizure for no reason. Kurt needed to get to the hospital and fast.

"Bennett, I need you to do me a favor." Lacey said. But, Bennett didn't turn around. "It's okay. You can turn around now. The scary part is over." Slowly, Bennett turned around to look at his cousin. "Go and wake up Gwennie and Ellie. We have to get your Papa to the hospital." Bennett nodded and went to wake up the girl. Lacey looked back down at Kurt. His eyes were just beginning to open.

"...hat' happened?" Kurt slurred.

"You had a seizure." Lacey said. "We have to get you to the hospital. Can you stand?" Kurt nodded and grabbed Lacey's hands to help him up. Once standing, he was really dizzy and leaned on Lacey as she walked him out to the car. "I'll be right back." Lacey said once he was settled. Then she ran back in and carried Gwennie and Ellie out to the car with Bennett following close behind her. She buckled them in and then got in the drivers seat and gripped the steering wheel. "I can do this. I can do this."

"Lacey...you can't drive." Kurt said weakly.

"I have a permit and your a licensed driver. It's legal and there is no way that I'm letting you drive." Lacey said. She took another deep breath and then shifted the car into gear. Luckily, the hospital was only a few minutes away, but they were the scariest minutes of Lacey's life. Once arriving at the hospital she drove up to the entrance and parked.

"Stay here." Lacey said. "I'll be right back." Lacey got out of the car and helped Kurt into the ER. She could feel Kurt becoming heavier.

"I don't feel good again." Kurt got out before he fell to the ground and started to seize again.

"Help! I need help!" Lacey yelled. Instantly two nurses and a doctor ran over and began to help Kurt, pushing Lacey out of the way. Lacey took that opportunity to go out to the car and grab the younger kids. She went back inside and saw that Kurt had stopped seizing and they had moved him onto a bed. "Is he okay now?" Lacey asked the doctor.

"Miss, are you related to the patient?" he asked.

"I'm his niece." Lacey replied. "And this is his other niece and two children." she added pointing to Bennett and Ellie. "Is he okay?"

"We can't reveal the details to a minor." the doctor said. "Do you have someone who you can call?" Lacey nodded her head. She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and dialed Blaine's number.

"Lacey?" came through the phone.

"Uncle Blaine…" she whimpered.

"What's wrong?" he asked panicked.

"Uncle Kurt had a seizure." Lacey said. "We're at the hospital."

"Where is Bennett, Gwennie, and Ellie?" Blaine asked.

"With me." Lacey replied.

"But...they wouldn't let them in the ambulance." Blaine said.

"I drove the car." Lacey said. "Please, just come to the hospital. They won't tell me anything because I'm a minor."

"Okay...I'll be right there honey." Blaine said hanging up the phone. Lacey took a seat in the waiting room with the rest of the kids. Twenty minutes later, Blaine came in and saw the kids. He raced over to them and hugged them to make sure they were okay. Then, he walked over to the doctor.

"My husband… Kurt Hummel, he was brought in here." Blaine said. "He had a seizure. Where is he? Is he okay?" The doctor sighed.

"Your husband had a seizure when he came into the ER with your niece." the doctor began. "We tried different drugs, but he wouldn't stop seizing. We were forced to put him into a medically induced coma."

"A coma?" Blaine asked surprised. "But…"

"Right now it's the best thing for him." the doctor replied. "If we would have allowed the seizures to continue than he most likely would have brain damage. Now, we have more time to figure out what's wrong with him."

"Do you have any idea what is wrong with him?" Blaine asked.

"We're going to run some tests." the doctor said. "I'll let you know as soon as we know." Blaine nodded and went over to the couch where the kids were sitting. He took Gwennie from Lacey's arms and held her. She luckily didn't feel warm and neither did Ellie. It must have been a twenty four hour bug. They sat there for hours until finally a doctor came back out and he didn't look happy. Blaine set Gwennie on the couch and stood up.

"We found a tumor in your husband's brain." the doctor said. "It is operable, but fast growing. If we operate now, we can most likely get it all."

"Right now?" Blaine asked.

"It's his best shot." the doctor replied.

"I-I need to see him, before you do it." Blaine said. The doctor nodded and lead him down a hallway and into a private room. Kurt lay in the bed, pale and attached to a ventilator to help him breathe. Blaine felt like he was going to cry. He walked closer to Kurt's bed and grabbed his hand. "I'm here with honey. You're not alone. The doctors are going to operate on your brain. And...you're going to be fine." Blaine said tears in his eyes. He closed his teary eyes and placed a kiss on Kurt's forehead. Then he turned to the doctors. "Do it." Blaine said. The doctor handed a clipboard over to him and Blaine signed it. Then he returned to the waiting room and explained what was going on to the kids.

"I need a few minutes to myself." Lacey said handing Ellie over to Blaine. She got up from the couch and walked down the hallway. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't lose another person who she loved so much. She wandered down the hallway, not knowing where she was going. Then she came across an empty room. It was the chapel. She went inside and took a seat in one of the pews and began to pray. "Lord, please watch over my Uncle Kurt. I-I don't think I could handle it if another person was ripped from me. I know that I haven't been the nicest to him, but I can be better. Please, just don't let him die." Lacey got out before putting her head in her hands and sobbing.

Lacey went back to the waiting room after she had composed herself. The surgery took hours and didn't finish until the early hours of the morning. The nurses set up two cots in Kurt's room so they could stay there. When Lacey woke up the next morning, Kurt was back in his bed. Blaine was in the chair next to him gripping his hand and crying.

"Is he...?" Lacey whimpered walking over to her uncle.

"They got it all." Blaine cried. "He's going to be okay." Lacey ran over to Blaine and threw herself into his arms.

"He's going to be okay," She repeated. This was the best possible news they could have asked for. Kurt woke up a few hours and although he was confused at first, he perked up instantly. They stayed in his hospital room for the rest of the day.

"Well, I don't think I can rock the bald look, so it looks you'll have to buy me some beanies."Kurt said to Blaine. Blaine laughed and kissed on his head.

"I'll buy you whatever you want." he replied. Lacey smiled. She was glad that their family was finally okay again. Suddenly, she felt her cell phone vibrate and picked it up when she saw it Julian calling."

"Hello?" she asked.

"You got it!" Julian practically shouted.

"What?" Lacey asked.

"The part! You got Elphaba." he told her.

"Oh my God!" Lacey said excitedly. "Thanks! I have to go." she told him before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Blaine asked.

"I got it!" Lacey screamed. "I auditioned for Elphaba in my school musical and I got it. I got the lead!"

"Honey that's great." Blaine said giving her a hug and spinning her around. She smiled and embraced her uncle as the rest of her family congratulated her. It had been a scary two days, but now they were over. And, everyone was okay again.


	11. Chapter 11

Weeks passed by after Kurt's surgery and although Blaine kept telling him to take it easy he didn't listen. This week is a very big week. It's Thanksgiving and opening night of Lacey's play. "Will you please pace yourself?" Blaine begged his husband.

"I can't. My parents and your parents will be here soon. I need to get this dinner moving." Kurt said as he finished basting the turkey before fixing the beanie on his head.

"You had brain surgery three weeks ago." Blaine said. "I think everyone will forgive you if dinner isn't served exactly at 5. Please, honey let me help with something." he pleaded.

"Go and watch the kids. That's how you can help." Kurt replied pointing to the living room with the baster. Blaine dropped his head and walked into the living room knowing he would never convince his stubborn husband to let him help. He went into the living room where Ellie, Gwennie, and Bennett were playing with their toys.

"Hey, guys." Blaine said with a smile. "Where's Lacey?" he asked.

"Upstairs." Gwennie replied pointing to the stairs. Blaine smiled, kissed her on the head and wandered upstairs. He went to Lacey's room and before he even opened the door, he could hear the sound of "Defying Gravity" escaping through Lacey's lungs. He opened the door slowly and listened to his niece sing. She truly was very talented. She had more control than he and even Kurt had at her age. When she finished the song, he began to clap and she flinched around to look at him.

"That was beautiful." Blaine told her. She shrugged nervously. "Are you kidding me? Sweetheart, you were amazing. You are going to be the star of this show."

"I'm so nervous." Lacey said. "What if I forget the words? Or screw up my dance steps? Or worse throw up on stage?"

"You won't." Blaine told her. "You're an Anderson and we are performers. Both your mom and dad were amazing performers and they passed that down to you." Lacey sighed and leaned into her uncles side. They sat there for a moment before the doorbell rang downstairs. "Let's go say hello your grandparents." he said. Together they walked downstairs and said hello to Blaine's parents, and Burt and Carole. And, as soon as the clock his 5, Kurt had dinner on the table. They began to eat. The room was filled with happy chatter in between chewing the amazing food Kurt had prepared. When everyone was finished eating, Burt spoke up.

"We have a tradition that after Thanksgiving dinner, we go around the table and say what we're thankful for." Burt said. "I'll start by saying that I'm thankful to be here with my son and his beautiful family and everyone else here."

"And, I'm thankful that everyone here is healthy and happy." Carole added.

"I'm thankful for Daddy, and Papa, and Lacey, Gwennie, and Ellie." Bennett added. "Oh and Grandpa Burt, Grandma Carole, Nana and Grandpa Nick." Gwennie didn't say much she was content to just suck on her sippy cup. As was Ellie. They went around the table and finally it got to Lacey.

"I'm thankful that Gwennie and I are still alive to celebrate this holiday. I'm thankful that I'm still here.' Lacey said. " I actually wanted to play something for you guys. She went over to the piano and sat down letting her fingertips touch the ivory keys. She took a deep breath and started to play and then began to sing.

_Together we stand_

_Always hand in hand_

_Never felt_

_So safe before_

_You were there_

_to carry me home_

_but now you're not_

_and I'm all alone_

_And I know_

_you didn't want to leave_

_but that don't help_

_these feelings_

_the tears still flow_

_my heart still aches_

_I want you back_

_I want you back_

_But, I'm still here_

_I'm still breathing_

_Even though_

_it hurts inside my heart_

_I must go on_

_because people need me_

_I must go on_

_cuz I'm not gone_

_If I could wish_

_for anything_

_it would be_

_to see you once again_

_and know that you_

_are watching me_

_as I go on_

_cuz I'm not here_

_I'm still here_

_I'm still breathing_

_even though_

_it hurts inside my heart_

_i must go on_

_because people need me_

_i must go on_

_cuz I'm not gone._

When Lacey stopped playing, she turned around to face her family and their wasn't a dry eye among the adults in the room. "It took me a while to really understand that message. I wished that I was dead with them, but now I understand why I'm not. I was meant to be here with all of you." Lacey said "And I know that mom and dad are looking down on each and everyone of us." The song ended the night on a good note. Both sets of grandparents were very exhausted from their flights and headed to their hotel rooms early leaving everyone in the house to get a good nights rest. Especially Kurt, who was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the couch and Blaine had to carry him upstairs.

Two days later was opening night for "Wicked" at Lacey's school. All of the family members who had been there on Thanksgiving now sat in the audience and Julian was there as well to support his best friend. They watched as Lacey went from shy girl to embracing her truly wicked self. They laughed at all the scenes where Glinda was involved and cried when she and Lacey sang Defying Gravity and For Good. At the end, there was a standing ovation from everyone in the house. The show was a success. After changing and getting the green off of herself, Lacey went running out to her family in the audience. They all hugged her and told her how good she was. Julian even handed her a bouquet of red rose. She smiled and hugged him too. It had been a good weekend. Everyone was healthy and happy and even though Cooper and Caitlyn couldn't be there, they weren't forgotten.


	12. Chapter 12

Time passed after Thanksgiving and everything was going well for the Anderson-Hummel family. Kurt was even going back to work. Isabelle had invited him out to New York for three days for Fashion week. "Are you sure it's okay if I go?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, I'm positive." Blaine said with a smile. "The kids and I will be fine for three days."

"But it's Valentine's Day-" Kurt began to speak up, but was cut off by Blaine's lips.

"Go.' Blaine said. "Your cab is outside and waiting. We'll celebrate when you get back." Kurt smiled and lifted his suitcase up.

"Tell the kids I say I love you." Kurt said.

"I will." Blaine said. "I promise, now go." Kurt headed downstairs with Blaine following him and went out to the cab. Blaine waved from the front door as Kurt's cab drove away. Then, Blaine closed the door and went back inside. He had enough time to make himself one cup of coffee when one of the girls started crying. Blaine went upstairs and found that it was Ellie, who was ready to get up. He lifted her out of bed and then did the same with Gwennie. When he went into the hallway, Bennett was awake so he took them downstairs and made them breakfast. Around 10 o'clock, Lacey kept came pounding down the steps.

"Uncle Blaine, can I go out?" she asked.

"Where?" he asked, not bothering to look up from the pancakes he was cooking.

"Out to brunch with Julian." Lacey said. Blaine turned around and gave her a look. "Don't give me that look. We're just friends." Lacey said in defense.

"I don't know." Blaine said in a sing song voice. "It's Valentines Day and he's asking you to brunch." l

"Shut up. It's a forever alone brunch." Lacey said. "We're just friends." She grabbed her jacket and then headed outside to wait for a bus. Blaine just smiled. He saw the way that Julian looked at her. And while his dad senses made him want to beat the kids up, he couldn't help smiling when he saw them together. Julian looked at Lacey they same when Blaine had done and still looked at Kurt. He'd just let that work itself out.

When Lacey got to the restaurant, she found Julian sitting in a booth by himself. She smiled and walked over to him. "Hey," she said.

"Oh hey," Julian said, a huge smile on his face.

"So, how do these forever alone brunches start?" Lacey asked. "Does it still count as a forever alone brunch if we're eating together?"

"I don't know." Julian laughed. "I guess we should just order." So, they ordered food and the waitress brought it soon enough. They ate and then it got quiet. "So, I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" Lacey asked.

" I- umm." Julian stuttered. Lacey could tell this was something big. Julian never stuttered like that. "So, we've become really good friends, but I...I want to be something more. I like you Lacey… a lot. And, I just wanted to know...if you like me too." he said. Lacey stared back at him completely in shock.

"I-I" Lacey stuttered. "Julian...we-we're just friends. Really good friends." Julian stared back at her with big eyes. He was clearly upset.

"I get it." He said, trying to hold back tears. "I have to go."

"No, Julian wait!" She called as she watched him practically run out of the restaurant. She sat in the booth for a moment, not moving. Julian was the one person who she could always count on to make her happy and now she had screwed it up. Eventually, Lacey went home. She walked in through the door and let it slam. She didn't even care.

"Lacey? What's wrong?" Blaine asked.

"You were right." Lacey said. "He wanted to be more than friends. I'm so stupid." Blaine walked over to her and gave her a hug. He was about to talk when Bennett cut him off.

"Daddy look!" Bennett yelled. When Blaine looked over, Ellie had pulled herself up using the table and was trying to walk.

"Go Ellie!" Blaine said with a smile on her face. Ellie made it two steps before everything went wrong. It was like it was slow motion. Ellie fell backwards and her head collided with the table. Blaine was instantly at his daughter's side. Ellie was screaming and Blaine's hand was covered in the blood from the cut on his daughter's head.

"Oh shit." Blaine said. "We need to get her to the hospital. Lacey go grab a towel." Lacey nodded and ran into the kitchen. She grabbed the towel and handed to her uncle who placed it on Ellie head. Then they headed to out to the car. Blaine drove while Lacey held Ellie in the back, who was still crying and bleeding. They got to the ER and were seen almost right away. It turns out when a baby as loud as Ellie comes into the ER, people listen. Blaine took Ellie back with the doctor and Lacey stayed with Gwennie and Bennett. As she was sitting in the waiting room and looking around, she noticed a woman standing in the corner of the room. It was Julian's mom.

"Stay here guys." Lacey said. She walked over to the woman and tapped her. "Mrs Harris?"

"Oh Lacey!" She said pulling the girl into a hug.

"What happened?" Lacey asked.

"Julian was hit by a car." She said tears in her eyes. And, just like that, in a blink of an eye, Lacey world was ambushed again.


	13. Chapter 13

"What?" Lacey asked. "H-how did that happen?" she questioned, panic rising in her chest because she already knew when it happened. It had to have happened after she broke his heart and he ran out of the restaurant. How could she not feel responsible?"

"I'm not sure." Julian's mom said. "I just got a call that it had happened. He's okay. He has two broken ribs and a lot of cuts and bruises. They let me see him, but I can't bare to look at him."

"C-can I see him?" Lacey asked. Julian's mom nodded and pointed towards a room. Lacey took a deep breath and walked towards the room. When she opened the door, she saw Julian lying in the bed looking so fragile. He had a large bruise on his forehead and a cut that ran over his lips. Lacey felt like she couldn't breathe. She walked in and took a seat next to his bed. Julian appeared to be sleeping. Lacey wanted to comfort him in some way. She raised her hand and was about to place it over his, but she pulled it away.

"Hey," she heard come softly from Julian's lips. She smiled at him, fighting back the tears.

"Hey, you scared the crap out of me." Lacey said. Julian looked away and Lacey knew he was still upset from earlier that day. "I-Im glad you're okay."

"Thanks." Julian muttered, still not looking at Lacey.

"Julian, can you please just look at me." Lacey said. "We're still friends." Julian still didn't talk. "Please...you're the only real friend I have left." When Julian still didn't talk, Lacey knew that their wasn't much she could do. She got up from her chair and made her way towards the door. Then, she stopped.

"I like you too." Lacey said, which got Julian's attention. "I-I was scared at the restaurant and caught off guard. Anyone who I seem to really care about keeps disappearing. I didn't want anything to happen to you." she said tears flowing from her eyes. "First, my parents die and my uncle gets a brain tumor and then you get hit by a car." Lacey said. "The one thing that they have in common is me. I'm like a bomb. I explode everything that I touch."

"No you're not." Julian said. "You didn't cause any of those things to happen." Lacey folded her arms over her chest trying not to cry even more. "Come here." Julian commanded. Lacey walked over and took Julian's outstretched hand. "You are the most beautiful, perfect girl who didn't cause any of the things you just mentioned. You're funny and talented. And, you're the sweetest girl I've ever met." Lacey smiled and leaned towards Julian. He leaned in and their lips met. It was a little awkward, but still perfect.

"Ow.." Julian said. Lacey laughed.

"We'll try that again when your lip is healed." Lacey said. "For now, I can just do this." She added kissing his forehead. Lacey spent the rest of the day with Julian. Ellie was just fine. She only needed four stitches. Overall the day had worked out for the best.

_Time jump…..May 30th_

Lacey and Julian continued to date for months and Julian got up the courage to ask Lacey to prom. And, on prom night, both Lacey and Julian looked amazing. Lacey's dress was purple with sparkles over the top. Her curly dark hair was pulled back in an elegant look. Julian was wearing a tux with a purple tie to match Lacey's dress. They were gathered at Kurt and Blaine's house taking pictures.

"Uncle Kurt, please no more!" Lacey said a huge smile on her face.

"Just one more!" Kurt said snapping more pictures on the camera.

"We're going to be late." Lacey countered.

"Okay, fine." Kurt said. "You may go."  
"We're going be home an hour after prom ends. We're going to get food after."Julian said.

"Okay, be careful." Blaine said. He watched as Lacey got into Julian's car. Julian opened the door for her and helped her get her dress in the car. Then he got into the car and drove away. Kurt stood with Blaine at the door. They had come such a long way since that sad day in august. They were a family and they were happy. And, that was all that mattered.

_Anniversary of Cooper and Caitlyn's death._

The Anderson-Hummel family were gathered around Cooper and Caitlyn's graves. There were two bouquets of flowers that lay across the tombstones. They stood there in silence, taking a moment to respect and remember them. Then, once they were finished, they walked over to the park across the street. Kurt set the picnic basket down and then helped Blaine lay out the blanket. Then all of the kids, including Julian who was over at their house very often sat down and began to eat the delicious meal that Kurt had prepared.

"I know that today is a very sad day." Lacey began. "But, I'm glad that we're spending it together as a family." She added leaning back in Julian's arms. "I know my parents are looking down on all of us and I'd like to play them something. She stood up from Julian's arms and walked over to the guitar she and brought. Then, she sat down and gently played a chord on the guitar. "This was one of mom's favorite songs."

_You can spend your whole life buildin'_

_Somethin' from nothin'_

_One storm can come and blow it all away_

_Build it anyway_

_You can chase a dream_

_That seems so out of reach_

_And you know it might not ever come your way_

_Dream it anyway_

_God is great, but sometimes life ain't good_

_When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should_

_But I do it anyway_

_I do it anyway_

_This world's gone crazy and it's hard to believe_

_That tomorrow will be better than today_

_Believe it anyway_

_You can love someone with all your heart_

_For all the right reasons_

_And in a moment they can choose to walk away_

_love 'em anyway_

_You can pour your soul out singing_

_A song you believe in_

_That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang_

_Sing it anyway_

_Yeah, sing it anyway_

_I sing, I dream, I love_

_Anyway_

_yeah_


End file.
